Resources listing

Model for Reform

On probation – models of good practice for alternatives to prison

This resource pack aims to provide guidance about how non-custodial sanctions and probation can be established in countries which do not have them and extended in those countries which do. It draws both on the available academic and other literature available, together with PRI’s experience of working with government partners, most recently in Eastern Europe, […]

Languages: English

Briefing

Essex paper 3: Initial guidance on the interpretation and implementation of the Nelson Mandela Rules

This guidance on the revised UN Nelson Mandela Rules is ‎based on the deliberations of a meeting of experts – known informally as the ‘Essex expert group’ – organised by Penal Reform International and the Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex in Colchester, UK, on 7-8 April 2016. The paper consists of six chapters covering: Dignity Prison […]

Languages: English

Annual Report

PRI Annual Report 2015

PRI’s Annual Report 2015 tracks progress towards the goals of its new Strategic Plan 2015-2020. The highlights of the year include but are not limited to: The unanimous adoption of the revised UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners – now the UN Nelson Mandela Rules – by the UN General Assembly in December 2015. The […]

Languages: English

Report

Global Prison Trends 2016

This is the second annual edition in our Global Prison Trends series, describing key global trends in the use and practice of imprisonment and the pressing challenges facing states that wish to organise their penitentiary systems in accordance with international norms and standards. Topics include for example: developments in international criminal justice policy; notable changes to policy at the […]

Languages: English

Model for Reform

Ten-point plan on reducing pre-trial detention

High rates of pre‑trial detention can be found on most continents, particularly in low income countries and states emerging from conflict. During 2015, PRI initiated a comparative research study into how bail works as an alternative to pre‑trial detention. The study found that while bail and other options for release pending trial are available in […]

Languages: English, Turkish

Model for Reform

Ten-point plan on reforming criminal justice responses to drugs

Ten steps to guide countries interested in moving away from solely punitive responses to drugs and in developing health and human rights-based approaches. This Plan was developed in partnership with the International Drug Policy Consortium.  

Languages: English

Multimedia

Podcast: How to build a prison compliant with human rights norms

To fill the gap between international norms and the relative lack of information on how to build a compliant prison in difficult circumstances, UNOPS recently developed a Technical Guidance for Prison Planning document that facilitates a human rights-based approach in the development of prison infrastructure. This blog post by Gordon Nuttall and Pedja Jurisic (UNOPS) […]

Languages: English

Report

Preventing radicalisation in prisons – developing a coordinated and effective approach

In December 2015, PRI organised an international roundtable on ‘Preventing Radicalisation in Prisons: Developing a Coordinated and Effective Approach’ hosted by PRI’s MENA regional office in Amman, bringing together 30 participants from 15 countries representing the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Central and South Asia. This report summarises the discussions, covering: drivers for radicalisation in (and […]

Languages: English

Briefing

Short Guide to the Nelson Mandela Rules (revised Standard Minimum Rules)

This Short Guide summarises the 122 Rules of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners which were revised by the UN in 2015. The Guide, which outlines the minimum standards that should be applied in prisons from admission to release, will be useful for policy-makers developing national prison management standards and guidelines and […]

Languages: Amharic, English, French, Georgian, Haitian Creole, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Thai